Survey: Michigan communities struggle to find poll workers

Nearly half of local officials in Michigan's large municipalities report struggling to find enough people with the necessary skills to work at the polls on Election Day.

The figure is included in a survey of more than 1,100 cities and townships released by the University of Michigan's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy on Monday.

When smaller municipalities are included, the number of officials reporting trouble recruiting skilled poll workers is almost 30 percent.

Nine in 10 officials are "very confident" that their jurisdictions can administer elections accurately. Two-thirds of local officials support legislation to let voters cast an absentee ballot without needing an excuse. The same number of respondents opposes allowing same-day voter registration on Election Day. About a quarter report experiencing equipment failures at the polls.